#228 HoD Space ep1: Praise tick sheets, Year 7 sets, first departmental meeting

<p>Sign up for your free trial at HoD Space at <a href="https://www.hodspace.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">hodspace.com.</a> </p><p>Access the show notes here: <a href="https://podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/228-hod-space-ep1-praise-tick-sheets-year-7-sets-first-departmental-meeting/">⁠https://podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/228-hod-space-ep1-praise-tick-sheets-year-7-sets-first-departmental-meeting/⁠</a></p><p>In this episode of the podcast, Jo Morgan and Craig Barton discuss:</p><p><strong>1. Praise, and the problem of the &quot;invisible pupils&quot;</strong><br>Prompted by a question from HOD Space member Megan, Jo and Craig dig into Pritesh Raichura&#39;s seating plan tick sheet — where a teacher aims for 30 to 50 individual praises a lesson — and ask whether that&#39;s realistic in a maths lesson built around long stretches of independent practice, before turning to how a head of department supports a teacher who wants to try something like this, and what it would take to roll it out across a team.</p><p><strong>2. Setting Year 7</strong><br>Jo explains why her school groups new Year 7s using SATs results rather than a baseline test, how two early end-of-unit tests are used to sense-check those groupings, and why keeping the whole business of setting deliberately low-key matters as much as getting the groups right.</p><p><strong>3. Planning your September INSET meeting</strong><br>Jo makes the case that the first department meeting of the year is the most important one you&#39;ll run all year, and talks through what goes into hers — from lesson expectations and homework routines to the admin nudges teachers need and the single department focus that will shape the year ahead.</p><p><br></p>